The purpose of this letter is to let the public know that the exhaustion of the potassium iodide pills in local stores should not be a cause for alarm. The reason for this is that the pills are not even anti-radiation drugs and do not provide immunization against all types of radiation (Whitcomb et al., 2015). The fact that the local stores have run out of the pills should not lead to panic among residents because it does not shield them from the effects of the radiation. Furthermore, the benefits of potassium iodide may have been both misunderstood and exaggerated. I urge the public to remain calm and understand that the pill is not necessary, and it is high time they stopped taking it.
The chemical symbol of potassium iodide is KI. It is a drug used medically to saturate the thyroid gland to prevent it from retaining iodide if an individual inhales or ingests it (Schilling, 2015). It serves to protect the exposed individuals from the risk of developing cancer of the thyroid gland. The citizens of the United States were not exposed to dangerous levels of the chemical following the Fukushima disaster. Taking the drug is therefore not necessary, and there is no reason for the local stores to sell it. Furthermore, America is miles away from Japan, and its citizens could not have been exposed to the high levels of radioactive iodide that resulted from the Fukushima incident.
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The pharmacological benefit of potassium iodide is the protection it confers against thyroid cancer that may be caused by the exposure to radiation. Its mechanism of action is that it lowers the levels of radioactive iodide that can be taken in by the gland. It only protects the thyroid gland and not all the organs of the body. Moreover, the drug only protects against the radioactive iodide but not other substances that may be released into the environment following nuclear disasters.
Florida is far away from Fukushima and therefore the effects of the disaster might not even affect the residents of the US. The residents should instead focus on ways that are more efficient in protecting them against radiations. Evacuating people from risk areas is far much better than giving them pills. People can also avoid taking unhygienic food and most especially dairy products (Belyakov, 2015). Ingestion of contaminated milk products is dangerous because they suffer contamination by radioiodide. The popular belief that the potassium iodide pills are effective is a myth.
A slight percentage of the radioactive iodine gets into the human body through inhalation. Most of it falls to the ground, and when livestock feeds on the grass growing on such soil, they ingest it. Once it gets into their system, they use it to make milk which when taken in by human beings is harmful because it contains the impurity. The most efficient way to prevent the risk is by not consuming milk. Moreover, people should stop building their confidence on the pill because it is not as beneficial as they think. Another better way to protect individuals from the effect of radiations is by ensuring that those evacuated are protected from further exposure to the dangerous emissions.
Distributing the potassium iodide pill to the residents of Jackson Ville is not necessary because the government is well prepared to handle any situation that could lead to the leakage of radioactive chemicals into the environment. It has learnt many lessons from Japan and is well equipped with all the necessary health and safety machinery; the machinery enable the country to evacuate people and inoculate them with drugs that can protect from developing diseases that result due to exposure to radiations (Matthewman, 2015). Since the main route of entry of radioactive iodide is through ingestion, the government has ensured that all the citizens consume clean food that is not contaminated, and experts test all the dairy products for the presence of the chemical before releasing to the public.
People who own livestock for milk have also been advised against taking the dairy product because the radioactive iodide enters the human body through ingestion of contaminated milk. Consequently, everyone should, understand that the potassium iodide pills are not recommended for people living far away from nuclear plants. Instead of selling all the supplies to save people, the government should stock the drug in case such a disaster occurs (Nomura et al. 2015). If the government does not regulate the distribution and the sale of the pills, the country will run out of stock, and it will be more dangerous if nuclear explosions occur.
I am advising the residents of Jackson Ville to calm down because they are not living near any nuclear plant and have not been exposed to any radioactive iodide before or are they prone to be exposed soon. No one should panic that the stores are running out of the drug because the government is well prepared to protect all the citizens in the event of a nuclear explosion or a terrorist attack.
References
Belyakov, A. (2015). From Chernobyl to Fukushima: an interdisciplinary framework for managing and communicating food security risks after nuclear plant accidents. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences , 5 (3), 404-417.
Matthewman, S. (2015). Disasters, Risks and Revelation: Making sense of our times . Palgrave Macmillan.
Nomura, S., Tsubokura, M., Gilmour, S., Hayano, R. S., Watanabe, Y. N., Kami, M. & Oikawa, T. (2015). An evaluation of early countermeasures to reduce the risk of internal radiation exposure after the Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan. Health policy and planning , czv080.
Schilling, R. (2015). Dr. Ray Schilling. Life .
Whitcomb Jr, R. C., Ansari, A. J., Buzzell, J. J., McCurley, M. C., Miller, C. W., Smith, J. M., & Evans, D. L. (2015). A public health perspective on the US response to the Fukushima radiological emergency. Health physics , 108 (3), 357-363.
